Judy, Judy, Judy--Good Night John Boy

siride July 10, 2022

I'm still in a sort of blogging limbo for an indefinite period of time, but I've got my Battle of the Bands posts mostly already set up so the next one scheduled for December 15 should appear without a hitch. Likewise I'm going to make a point to get the winner announcements on my blog. That's what I'm here for today.

My most recent BOTB contest put up versions of the Christmas song "White Christmas" with versions by Johnny Cash and Judy Collins. Some readers readily made the connection between the "JC" initials and the "reason for the season", which was somewhat impressive, but not necessarily surprising knowing about many of my readers. My next BOTB post will again be Christmas themed and will continue the "JC" theme.

The Winner Is...

If Bing Crosby had been in the running, his version would have been the clear winner. A couple voters insisted in voting for Bing thus negating their votes. Neither of the recordings I used in this Battle were overwhelmingly popular so I thank voters for at least picking one of them.

My vote nearly went to Judy Collins due to her vocal and lovely instrumental backing. However, Johnny Cash receives my vote. Collins's version seemed a bit cold to me--maybe appropriate for a song about snow, but not so pleasing to my ears. Judy Collins does have a beautiful voice and the addition of the cello for the instrumental interlude nearly won me over. In the end though Johnny got my vote for the fun sound of the arrangement and the singing and playing. It's the version that would hold up best for me with repeated listenings.

Bottom line though is that my vote didn't really matter. Judy trounced Johnny with nearly twice as many votes.

The Final Count:

Johnny Cash 9 votes

Judy Collins 17 votes

Hope you'll be here on Monday December 15th for another Christmas themed Battle of the Bands. This next one will be kind of unique and I think you might have fun with it. It may even stir up a memory or two for some of you.

Have you got the Christmas spirit yet? Are you expecting a white Christmas this year? Do you prefer your Christmas songs to sound bouncy happy or melancholy peaceful?